Stable organic radical polymers: synthesis and applications

There has been a resurgence in the development of new synthetic methods to produce stable organic radical polymers (ORPs) with control over chemical composition and structures. This has resulted from the new applications (e.g. electrochemical energy storage to synergistic therapy in drug delivery) that require sophisticated control over the polymer structural properties to compete in the market. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the synthetic strategies for making ORPs, discuss the synthesis–structure–property relationship and summarise the main applications of ORPs found in the literature so far. We envisage that the future development on ORPs will be to create ORP based smart materials through advanced macromolecular design and synthesis for better practical performance in diverse applications.